Thread by @sleeb01

A 🧵 dissecting Depp's testimony regarding Amber taking off his boots. He used Amber taking off his boots as an early example of Amber's need to control him. Depp portrayed Amber as the nagging wife. #GiveAmberHeardHerVoiceBack

Depp's initial testimony in the Virginia trial regarding Amber taking off his boots when she would sit him down on the couch when he got home.

Depp followed this up the next day by answering the question "When did Ms. Heard's behavior towards you begin to change?" by citing Amber needing to take off his boots as the first hint of her behavior changing negatively.

Amber testified that Depp was very appreciative of the gesture of her taking off his boots and that he was free to take them off himself if he wanted too.

In the UK Depp testified that the boots were a sign that Amber had to stick to routine as well.

Depp again mentioned that when he sat down after getting home is when Amber would then take his boots off.

Amber was not asked about the boots in the UK. Like everything in this case, it boils down to a she said, he said. So it’s useful to look at other mentions of boots that are germane to the case.

Depp cast Amber in the Rum Diary, where they first met, when he was 44 and she was 22. Depp wanted Amber to take guidance from the performance of Lauren Bacall in the 1944 movie "To Have and Have Not". Lauren Bacall was 19 and Humphrey Bogart was 45. They were married in 1945.

While Depp's side was the first to bring up Bogart and Bacall in the Virginia Trial, the Sun (whom Depp was suing) was the first to bring it up in the UK.

There is a scene in this movie where Slim wants to take Steve's boots off while he is sitting on a couch. Steve tells her firmly that "he can take his own boots off". Slim is repeatedly trying to do things for him and he is trying to get her to go away.

This scene is the exact picture that Depp accuses Amber of. Being the nagging woman. A picture Depp has evoked again and again of Amber since early on in their relationship.

While they are filming the Rum Diary there is a moment where Depp kicks up Amber's bathrobe with his boot when she is alone in his trailer. Depp has brought up Amber taking his boots off many times, which suggests his boots and their power are very meaningful to him.

In Depp's own words from the UK testimony the boots example is a small example of a larger principle. He loves Amber wanting to take off his boots and wants to see himself as the rational Steve in control of the clingy Slim. This is a fantasy of Depp's.

Finally, this audio is Depp's own words to Amber telling her how much it means to him that she takes off his boots. That small gesture means the world to him.